Education and class formation in Cameroun

Cooksey, Brian (1977). Education and class formation in Cameroun. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis is based on research carried out in Cameroun between October 1974 and July 1976. It is concerned with the role of education in the process of class formation and reproduction in the five French-speaking provinces of Cameroun, with special, reference to the capital Yaoundé and the Centre-South Province.
The theory of social reproduction is discussed in the African context and it is concluded that it is more applicable to the process of class formation, both during the colonial period and since independence, than to class reproduction, a process more evident in societies with advanced class structures.
The importance of education to the process of class formation is discussed at length in connection with the growth of a cashcrop producing rural economy and of urban groups of manual and non-manual workers, traders, businessmen and artisans.
The interrelationships between ethnic-regional, urban-rural and class factors are discussed in the context of educational access and performance (including repeating and wastage) and of the differential expansion of the various educational sectors in the five provinces.
Chapters IV-V1 are concerned primarily with the class dimension of performance in Yaoundé and the Centre-South, which have very high levels of primary enrolment for both sexes, and the interaction between class background, ethnicity and birthplace is examined in some detail. The intervening factors of age, sex and Class 6 repeat rates are discussed in relation to class background, and the material and cultural dimensions of the letter are examined in some detail.
In Chapter VII educational achievement is discussed in relation to the economic and political dimensions of class formation in Cameroon, and the possibility of future class reproduction through educational access and performance is examined in relation to present tendencies in rural and urban stratification.
The concluding chapter summarises the major findings of the thesis, including those concerning the development of class subcultures, and outlines some policy implications and future research priorities concerning education and social reproduction.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):